Portlaoise AFC have appointed a very high profile manager to take charge of the team for the coming season.
Dubliner Pat Scully has been appointed to succeed Darren Rogers who has managed the team for the past couple of seasons.
As a player, he started his career at Arsenal, where he was part of the youth team that won the 1988 FA Youth Cup.
He left the London club without making a senior appearance and went on to have a successful spell in England.
He played for Preston North End, Northampton Town, Southend United and Huddersfield Town before returning to Ireland in 1996.
Back here, he played for Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda United before retiring in 2003.
Scully also made one international at senior level for the Republic of Ireland and also played for the U-21, U-23 and ‘B’ sides.
Scully’s first managerial job was with Kilkenny City in 2006 and he took over Shamrock Rovers in 2007 where he led them to First Division glory.
He spent two more years there before moving to Limerick – a role he held from 2009 to 2012.
His most recent managerial role saw him in charge of Naas outfit Monread FC who also play in the Leinster Senior League.
They finished the season as Albert Walsh Cup and Tom Carroll Cup champions.
Scully’s Portlaoise team will compete in the Leinster Senior League which will get underway in August.
But before all that, Portlaoise AFC will take on Skerries Town in Round 1 of the FAI Cup at home on a date between July 21 and 23.
It will be a historic occasion, 32 years on from Portlaoise’s last appearance in the competition, with a win virtually guaranteeing a tie against a League of Ireland team.
SEE ALSO – Shock and sadness as young Laois man found dead in Greece
